Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Jul-Aug;35(4):483-493.
doi: 10.1080/07347332.2017.1307894. Epub 2017 Mar 20.

Preparing youth with cancer for amputation: A systematic review

Caitlyn A Loucas  1 , Sarah R Brand  1   2 , Sima Zadeh Bedoya  3 , Anna C Muriel  1   2 , Lori Wiener  3
Affiliations

Preparing youth with cancer for amputation: A systematic review

Caitlyn A Loucas et al. J Psychosoc Oncol. 2017 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Children and adolescents who require limb amputation as part of cancer treatment face many physical and emotional challenges. Preparatory interventions may serve to facilitate positive coping and improve long-term adjustment during pediatric cancer treatment, including decreasing anxiety and postoperative distress. This review aimed to examine and identify the type and degree of psychosocial preparation provided to the child with cancer and family prior to amputation. Electronic databases including Embase, PubMed, and PsycINFO were searched for relevant research articles. Five studies were identified that satisfied inclusion criteria and revealed common themes for preparatory interventions, but results were limited by a lack of empirical approaches and revealed little consensus on pre-operative support prior to amputation. These findings demonstrate that there is a lack of studies to date that have adequately addressed psychosocial preparation prior to amputation for pediatric oncology patients. Future research on preparatory interventions is needed using prospective and quantitative research to establish evidence-based recommendations for interventions to support this vulnerable population.

Keywords: amputation; childhood cancer; pediatric psychology; systematic review.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Diagram
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. American Cancer Society. Cancer facts & figures 2014. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2014.
    1. Andrews L, Anderson L, Fairbain S, Downing L. Care planning for children with lower limb amputation: Lucy Andrews and colleagues discuss the fundamental care requirements for patients undergoing this life-altering process. Nursing Children and Young People. 2012;24(1):14–19. - PubMed
    1. Atala KD, Carter BD. Pediatric limb amputation: Aspects of coping and psychotherapeutic intervention. Child Psychiatry and Human Development. 1992;23(2):117–130. - PubMed
    1. Boyle M, Tebbi C, Mindell E, Mettlin C. Adolescent adjustment to amputation. Medical and Pediatric Oncology. 1982;10(3):301–312. - PubMed
    1. Bryant PR, Pandian G. Acquired limb deficiencies. 1. Acquired limb deficiencies in children and young adults. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. 2001;82(3):S3–S8. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources